Coping with a long-term illness entails significant lifestyle changes, akin to a grieving process marked by stress, anxiety, intense emotions, letting go, and adaptation. Individuals may grapple with frustration over the loss of activities they once enjoyed. It’s crucial to embrace this adjustment as a normal part of life and learn to manage how the illness alters one’s existence.
Every experience shapes us, but it’s easy to become fixated on pain and distress. Reclaiming control from the illness can be empowering and pivotal in improving the quality of life for those living with it. While dealing with a long-term illness, experiencing anxiety, depression, anger, fear, frustration, resentment, shame, guilt, and fatigue is entirely understandable. Striving for life satisfaction during this journey is undeniably challenging.
Counseling offers valuable support in addressing the challenges presented by long-term illness and assists individuals in discovering strategies for effecting positive improvements that enhance their quality of life while enabling them to coexist with the illness. It encourages the setting of attainable goals and maintaining realistic expectations. Moreover, counseling empowers individuals with the illness to retain a sense of control, engage in rewarding activities, and, perhaps most importantly, cultivate mindfulness and presence in the present moment.